Francis Alÿs: Le temps du sommeil

18 November 2016 – 22 January 2017

Francis Alÿs’s work has been featured at documenta 13 and in solo exhibitions at MoMA, New York, and Tate Modern, London, making him one of the most widely acclaimed artists working today. His show in the Secession’s main hall is the conceptual artist’s first solo presentation in Austria.

Alÿs transforms simple actions in the public sphere into symbolic political/poetical gestures that broach issues such as national boundaries, social inequality, or intra-communal conflict. Since 1991, when he realized his first Walks, the urban landscape traversed on foot has been a central topos of his artistic practice. His actions and performances often spawn a range of associated works and media. His extensive and diverse oeuvre encompasses videos, drawings, paintings, photographs, performances, and sound pieces.

For the Secession, Alÿs will present a recently produced film together with a series of 111 postcard-size paintings that reflect his ideas and the general process of his practice over the last couple decades.